Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Some parliamentary staff under the aegis of Concern Staff of National and State Houses of Assembly have endorsed the revised condition of service for National Assembly staff.
The group in a letter by its National President, Salisu Funtua and two others addressed to the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the revised condition of service was a product of agitation by the Parliamentary Association of Nigeria (PASAN), National Assembly chapter in 2018.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, (CNA), Ataba Sani-Omolori, had been in the spotlight recently over the revised condition of service which extended the retirement age of senior staff of the National Assembly from 60 to 65 years.
The controversy prompted the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to set up a committee to review the revised condition of service, which became operational last year.
However, the group contended that the report of the NASC committee headed by Senator Abubakar Tutari Committee would cause confusion and industrial disharmony if it is allowed to stand.
Consequently, they appealed to the National Assembly leadership to intervene in the interest of the legislature.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Assembly Service Commission has the power of variation to set the age limit of service for its staff just like the National Judicial Commission (NJC) has done for judges and the Federal Civil Service for university professors.
“The Committee ignored the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari on many occasions had extended the tenure of some Permanent Secretaries beyond their retirement dates for purposes of capacity needs in the Federal Service and such action never caused disruption in the service.
“The Committee also failed to note that in line with interpretation Act Cap 192 LFN 1990 he who has power to appoint has both power to remove and extend. Section 19(1) of the NASC Act confers this power on the Commission hence the Revised Conditions of Service.
“Your Excellency, in concluding this open letter, we would like to appeal to your patriotism and sense of decency. The processes thus far as carried out by the Senator Abubakar Tutari Committee will unleash confusion, trigger industrial disharmony within the National Assembly and the state legislatures and set a dangerous precedence if allowed to stand,” it said.